Matthew Webb
British swimmer (1848–1883) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British swimmer (1848–1883) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Captain Matthew Webb (1848–1883) was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb significantly increased the popularity of swimming in England.
Captain Matthew Webb | |
|---|---|
Webb in The Illustrated London News, 1883 | |
| Born | 19 January 1848 Dawley, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 24 July 1883 (aged 35) Niagara River, Niagara Falls |
| Cause of death | Paralysis from water pressure swimming in the Niagara Rapids |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York |
| Monuments | Monument to Captain Webb, Webb Crescent, Captain Webb Primary School |
| Occupation(s) | Seaman, swimmer, stuntsman |
| Years active | 1875–1883 |
| Known for | Swimming the English Channel |
| Spouse | Madeline Kate Chaddock (married 1880–1883) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Dr. Matthew Webb, Sarah Cartwright Webb |
| Awards | Stanhope Medal |
Webb was born in Dawley, Shropshire, to surgeon Dr. Matthew Webb and his wife Sarah Cartwright Webb. He developed strong swimming skills as a child while playing with his friends in the River Severn.
At the age of twelve, Webb began his career in the Merchant Navy after being accepted to train on the HMS Conway. After training on the Conway for two years, he began a three year apprenticeship working for the Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool. During this time, he sailed internationally across various trade routes, visiting countries such as China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Yemen.
After completing his training as a second mate in 1865, Webb worked mainly in this role for 10 years aboard different ships and for multiple companies. During this time, Webb was recognized for two acts of bravery, both of which involved swimming: In the Suez Canal, Webb released the ship's propeller from an entangled rope by diving down underwater and cutting it with a knife, and in the Atlantic Ocean, Webb jumped in to attempt to save a man who had fallen overboard while the boat was travelling at a speed of 14.5 knots. This latter feat won him the first Stanhope medal.
In 1875, after one failed attempt, Webb successfully swam the English Channel from Dover, England to Cap Gris Nez, France. This achievement made him a celebrity, raised him £2,424 through public subscription, and kick-started his career as a professional swimmer and stuntman.
During his swimming career, Webb competed in several races, and performed several stunts in England and America including: In 1877, he completed a 40 mile swim from Gravesend to Woolwich along the Thames; in 1879, he swam 74 miles over 6 days to win a long distance swimming race; in 1880, he raced twice against Paul Boyton in his lifesaving suit; he floated for 60 hours at the Royal Aquarium, 74 hours at the Scarborough Aquarium and then 128 and a half hours at the Boston Horticultural Hall.
Despite these swimming accomplishments, Webb's financial situation was worsening, and in 1883 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. This severely impacted his swimming, and he was bedridden for two months.
Webb died in 1883 after being paralysed by the water pressure when attempting to swim down the rapids at Niagara Gorge, below Niagara Falls.
Webb was born on 19 January 1848[lower-alpha 1] somewhere between 57 and 63 High Street, Dawley (now part of Telford), in Shropshire. He was one of eight sons and six daughters of the surgeon Dr. Matthew Webb.[4][1][4] In 1849, while Matthew Webb was only 14 months old, the family moved to Madeley High Street, and then in 1856 to Eastfield House, Coalbrookdale.[4] The Webb family was situated just one field from the River Severn, which was where he developed his strong swimming abilities.[4][5][6] The Webb family were Anglicans, so Webb was familiar with the stories of the Bible. One story that Webb remembered well into adult life was Daniel in the lions' den.[7]
Webb's first memory involved the water.[8] After finishing his day at the local school he would go with a group of friends to play in the Severn, and by the time he was seven, he could already swim.[9][10] This was uncommon for the time, as swimming was not generally considered a pleasurable activity, but rather an activity prescribed by doctors as a treatment for a wide range of ailments.[11] By eight years old, Webb was already a strong swimmer,[1] so when his younger brother Charles was drowning in the Severn, he and his older brother Thomas were able to save him.[12]
At school, Webb was fearless and enjoyed pulling off dangerous stunts in front of his friends.[10] Webb also enjoyed painting pictures of animals and reading stories of the sea.[13] He was particularly influenced by the book Old Jack by W. H. G. Kingston, which was one of his inspirations to become a seaman.[14][1]
In 1860, at the age of twelve,[3] it was decided by him and his parents that Webb should leave school and join the Merchant Service,[15] and so he applied and was accepted into the HMS Conway training ship.[4][2]
In just his first few days on the ship, he felt homesick and hated the harsh living conditions, saying "I was hardly afloat before I wished myself back again to my comfortable home".[16]
On the Conway, Webb was taught both traditional school classes (English, mathematics, history etc.) and specialised classes in nautical skills (map reading, astronomy, sailing etc.).[17] His routine was regulated by the program and generally consisted of waking up at six, eating breakfast at eight, participating in traditional school classes during the morning, lunch at midday followed by half an hour of play time, nautical skills classes in the afternoon, dinner at five followed by more play time and some school prep until prayers at eight thirty, and then bed at nine.[17] The routine on the weekend and during the half day on Wednesday was more varied, as the students were allowed off the ship to visit friends and/or participate in various fun activities.[18]
Webb became popular on the Conway, and was given the nickname "Chummy Webb".[19] He could also defend himself in a fight, and later said that "many of the boys were highly respectable", but also "some were highly the opposite".[20] He excelled in swimming, rescuing a fellow crew member from overboard,[1][3][21] and impressed fellow crew mates by his ability to stay in the water for very long periods of time.[22][23]
After two years as a student on the Conway, on 1 October 1862, he enlisted himself for a three year apprenticeship on the eastern cargo ships operated by the Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool, where he traded with East India and China and completed training to become a second mate.[4][1][23] The Rathbone Brothers provided Webb with the necessities of life (except clothes and bedding which he had to bring along for himself) and paid him £30 for his three years work, which was split into: £5 for the first year, £10 for the second and £15 for the third. In return, Webb had to work for the Rathbone Brothers, was prohibited from entering taverns and alehouses, and from gambling.[23]
Webb's first trip was from Liverpool to Calcutta aboard the Cavour. The crew was unfortunate and experienced bad weather, meaning the ship took two weeks to travel the first hundred miles. Webb recalled that experiencing his first storm was completely different to how he had imagined, and he was terrified throughout it.[24] Despite this, Webb excelled in the harsh conditions and was not prone to seasickness like the other new recruits. Webb also got the traditional sailors tattoo of a blue anchor on his right arm.[25]
In the summer of 1863, while at home, Webb rescued his 12-year-old brother Thomas from drowning in the Severn near Ironbridge.[5]
The ship then sailed from Calcutta to Hong Kong, where Webb was subject to a mugging attempt. However he managed to fight off the assailants until a policeman caused them to flee. Webb was able to keep the dollar he had kept in his pocket.[25] The ship then sailed to Singapore, then back to Calcutta, and then back home where he was finally reunited with his family after seventeen months.[26]
His next trip was to Aden and then Bombay, where he stayed for three months. It was at this time that Webb first experienced swimming in the sea. He swam between the boats in the harbour, eating dinner at his destination and then swimming back again. He found that he liked the extra buoyancy that the saltwater provided, and the roughness of the waves. He learned that "you must not attempt to battle with waves". Rather, you should "manoeuvrer them and they will assist you".[27]
During this time, Webb gained a reputation for being fearless and was admired by his comrades.[22] Upon completing his third voyage, which was once again to Singapore and Hong Kong, he passed his test to qualify as a second mate. However, he had to continue working for the Rathbone Brothers until his contract expired in 1865.[27]
Upon finishing work for the Rathbone Brothers, Webb began work as a second mate for Saunders & Co., another shipping company based in Liverpool. He worked for them on ships to Japan, Brazil and Egypt.[27]
Webb was very confident in his physical abilities, especially when it came to swimming. He was known for leaping off the yardarm into the sea, and earned an extra £1 per day for anchoring the boat near a wreck, and then swimming back to shore (a job which all the other sailors were too afraid to do). Webb learned to swim well in the sea from these endeavours.[28] He even competed with a dog from Newfoundland to see who could swim the longest in the rough sea. After an hour, Webb was still swimming but the dog was exhausted and was rescued from the water.[22][29]
Yet another another one of Webb's stunts took place in the Suez Canal, where the propeller of their ship had intertwined with a rope, causing it to get stuck. Webb dived down for hours, slowly cutting the rope dive by dive, until it was cut and the propeller was freed. During this time, a French ship had been waiting behind them, and the French crew were getting impatient. One of the French officers shoved Webb, but he gripped the officer and they fell into the water together. While he was told off by the captain, the rest of the crew enjoyed the joke. Unfortunately for Webb, his employers never recognised him for this feat, and so he left for the United States.[30][21]
His time in the US did not last long though, as he immediately disliked it and took a job as an ordinary seaman on the Cunard Line ship Russia to get back to the UK.[31] The Russia was travelling from New York to Liverpool, and would be the ship on which Webb would perform his next brave feat. On 22 April 1873, Webb attempted to rescue a man overboard by diving into the sea in the mid-Atlantic.[1][4][21] Webb jumped into the cold water while the boat was travelling at a speed of 14 and a half knots,[1] in pursuit of what he thought was the man's head, but it was actually just his hat.[32] Webb removed his clothing so he could swim better, but doubted that the ship would come back for him. He later said that he had a flashback of his whole life. After thirty-seven minutes, Webb was finally rescued,[33] by which point "the poor brute was nearly drowned".[1]
The man was never found, but the passengers of the Russia banded together to give Webb a purse of 100 sovereigns,[34] and upon returning home, he learned that his daring attempted rescue had won him the first Stanhope Medal, and made him a hero of the British press.[4][1] He was also awarded another silver medal by the Royal Humane Society.[35]
From 1865 to 1875, Webb worked on seven different ships, the last of which was named the Emerald, where he started work in January 1875 and served as captain for six months.[1][4]
In the summer of 1872, Webb had read an account of the failed attempt by J. B. Johnson to swim the English Channel, and became inspired to try.[36][37] He also learned of Lord Byron and Lieutenant Ekenhead's Hellespont crossing, and was greatly interested in the story.[38]
In 1874, Webb was looking for financial backers for his channel attempt and long swims in general. He first approached Robert Patrick Watson, the owner of the Swimming, Rowing and Athletic Record and the Swimming Notes and Record, asking for help in finding a backer for his channel swim.[39] Watson did not believe Webb would actually swim the channel, but advised him to wait until next summer as the weather would not be good enough until then.[40] Webb agreed with Watson, so moved to Dover for the rest of the summer to begin practising. Despite Webb not telling anyone in Dover what he was planning, he caught the attention of locals thanks to his long swims and stunts in the water. They nicknamed him the "Red Indian" as he would often come back from long swims with a red face.[41] Before returning to Watson's office in Fleet Street, Webb tested himself by swimming to Varne Point lighthouse and back again, a distance of thirteen miles.[42]
Webb returned to Watson's office, and Watson was surprised by his return. While Watson said he could not personally work with Webb on his channel crossing,[43] he did introduce him to Fred Beckwith, who was a coach at Lambeth Baths in south London.[39]
During September 1874, Watson and Beckwith organised a secret trial of Webb, where they watched him swim breaststroke down the Thames from Westminster Bridge to Regent's Canal Dock. After watching for an hour and twenty minutes, they "grew tired of watching his slow, methodical but perfect breaststroke and magnificent sweep of his ponderous legs", and so concluded Webb's trial.[44] For the rest of the 1874 swimming season, Webb trained everyday at Lambeth Baths. Sometimes he would spend all day at the baths, before drinking some ale and then returning home.[45] Over the next year, he became very good friends with both Beckwith and Watson.[46]
Beckwith tried to make money from Webb, issuing a statement in the Sporting Life, challenging anyone to swim further than his "unknown amateur" down the Thames, and then trying to place a bet on Webb's successfully swimming across the Channel. However, it was by then too late in the summer of 1874 for a Channel crossing to be completed that year, as the weather was becoming too harsh.[44]
_for_Allen_&_Ginter_Cigarettes_MET_DP839332.jpg)
In June 1875, Webb left his job as captain of the Emerald, in order to focus on his swimming feats.[1][36] It was also during this month that future American rival Paul Boyton paddled across the channel in just under 24 hours wearing a survival suit.[47][48] Despite Boyton's suit protecting him from the elements, the public saw them as rivals, which meant Webb had to live up to the very high standards of endurance that Boyton set in his suit.[49] Webb always said that Boyton was "an obvious fraud".[50]
A month after leaving his job on the Emerald, on the 3 July, Beckwith organised a spectacle by showing Webb setting a record by completing a 20 mile swim between Blackwall and Gravesend along the River Thames, which Webb completed in 4 hours and 52 minutes.[1][4][35] Webb received media attention for the feat, with newspapers such as Bell's Life, Land and Water, The Daily News and The Globe all reporting on it. Some papers reported very positively, while others were more neutral. The Globe however gave little credit because of the flow of the river that heavily aided him.[51] Unfortunately for Beckwith, the poor public interest on the rainy day meant that he lost money. As a result, Webb took another manager, Arthur Payne. Payne was the sporting editor of The Standard.[44]
On 17 July 1875, Webb announced to the public that he would attempt to swim across the English Channel with the statement from Payne in Bell's Life and Land and Water:[52][53]
I am authorized by Captain Webb to announce his full determination to attempt the feat of swimming across the Channel... Beyond a paltry bet of £20 to £1 he has nothing to gain by success. Surely, under the circumstances, there are some lovers of sport who would gladly, in sporting language, "put him on so much to nothing". Should he by chance succeed, which is extremely improbable, it would be cruel that one who would undoubtedly have performed the greatest athletic feat on record should be a loser by the event.[44]
Webb organised his next training swim for 19 July himself. He intended to swim from Dover to Ramsgate, so he hired a local boatman called William Cole and invited a reporter from the Dover Chronicle to join.[54] The morning of the swim had heavy rain, but Webb still set off just before 10 in the morning. The tide was for him, but the rain was against him. Webb did some breaststroke, and this time also incorporated some sidestroke. He swam at a pace of twenty strokes per minute, stopping only to drink some ale. By 12:40, he was halfway, but the second half included swimming against the tide, causing him to slow down.[55] Webb was greeted by a small group on Ramsgate Pier, and finished the swim in 8 hours and 40 minutes.[56][57] Unfortunately for Webb, the national newspapers did not print his swim, with The Times printing another one of Boyton's appearances. The only newspaper that printed anything about the swim was the Dover Chronicle.[57]
Following his long swims, Webb had a medical check in London by Dr. Henry Smith. The report was once again printed in Land and Water, and was extremely detailed.[58] An employee at the Land and Water called Frank Buckland gave Webb a jar of porpoise oil for insulation and recommended that he consume a diet of strong beef tea, thick soup, meat and bread, egg and sherry, Liebig's extract of meat, strong tea and a "very moderate use of brandy". Webb ignored the dietary advice, but kept the oil.[59]
In August, Webb moved from London to stay at the Flying Horse Tavern in Dover, to begin final preparations. While in Dover Webb followed a strict routine of swimming for an hour a day, except for every tenth day where he would do a long swim up to five hours. He ate a lot of fat from meat and drank three pints of beer per day, but did not drink any tea, coffee or spirits. He always walked in the fresh air before going to bed at 10 pm.[60]
Despite Webb having plenty of sailing experience, he was not knowledgeable about the Straits of Dover. He consulted the locals, and eventually settled on using the same strategy that Boyton had previously used. He aimed to start on the Dover east flood tide, and then catch the current as it turned to the west. He aimed to finish the swim in fourteen hours.[61] Webb decided he would be backed by the lugger boat called Ann, which was captained by George Toms, and a small rowing boat operated by Boy Baker.[4][62] Aboard the lugger would be the captain, two of his sons and a crew of four others. The lugger would carry a stove, bricks to warm up for heat and a thick blanket, while the rowing boat would carry a lifebelt in case of emergency. Webb decided he did not want a doctor, since he believed he knew his health best. The lugger was also packed with a large variety of food, including coffee, beef tea, roast beef, sandwiches, ale and brandy.[63]
Webb later recalled the fear of failure he had, but did not show at the time. He "dreaded the kindness and sympathy of [his] friends, especially at home, even more than the open ridicule of comparative strangers".[64]
He had to wait until 12 August 1875,[65][4] when he made his first attempt. During the swim, he attempted to use a form of goggles without a seal (which he called "barnacles"). The intent was to shield his eyes from the splashing of the salt water, however they only made the problem worse.[66] The weather was still not great, and after seven hours he had been driven over nine miles off course and was forced to abandon the swim despite being over halfway there.[36][67][68] Webb swam until he could not swim any longer, boarding the boat only fifteen minutes before the conditions became so bad that he would not even have been able to board it.[69] Despite Webb's disappointment, he remained positive, and was assured by Captain Toms that had the weather been better, he probably would have made it.[69]
Good weather finally arrived on the 24 August with a good barometer reading, little wind and slightly overcast sky.[70] The sea was 18°C (65°F), and the captain recommended that Webb start his swim at 1pm.[70] Webb began preparations by eating an English breakfast with claret,[71] and at around 12:45, set off in the Lugger Ann with the rest of the crew from the Harbour towards Admiralty Pier.[71] Captain Toms predicted the swim would take around fourteen hours, while the captain Pittock of the Castalia (who was known as an expert on the channel waters) predicted it would take around twenty.[70]
At 12:56 pm,[4] Webb began his second attempt by diving in from the Admiralty Pier at Dover in his red silk swim costume.[4] Webb was smeared with the porpoise oil for insulation and set off into the ebb tide which carried him for the first three quarters of a mile out from Admiralty Pier.[48][36][67] At the time of his swim, Webb weighed 14 stone and 8 pounds, his chest size was 40 and a half inches and he was 5 feet 8 inches tall.[48]
Webb was backed by the Ann and two smaller rowing boats operated by Charles Baker (who joined Webb in the water for parts of the swim) and John Graham Chambers.[71][72] Among the crew of the Ann was: Payne who was acting as a referee and reporter for the Land and Water and The Standard, Henry Wilkinson (another referee from The Field and the Daily News), J. B. Jones (a reporter from the Dover Express also representing The Daily Telegraph), Mr. Warman (from the Dover Chronicle and also representing The Times), Mr. Bell (an artist from the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News and The Illustrated London News), Webb's brother-in-law George Ward, John Dodd (the captain's friend) and five other crew members with the names Bowles, Decent, Gates, Jell and Stanley.[71][4][67]
Webb started swimming his breaststroke at a stroke rate of about 25 strokes per minute, but slowed to around 20 when he found his rhythm.[73][74] He drank cod liver oil, beef tea, brandy, coffee and ale, but did not stop long for each feed in an effort to preserve body heat.[73][75] The crew was very positive with the better weather.[76]
By 17:30, on August 24, Dover could no longer be seen,[73] and at 18:50, a reporter was sent back with the positive information for the newspapers.[77] At 20:35, Webb was stung by his first jellyfish, which was painful but did not stop him after he had a shot of brandy. By 23:00, the Captain Toms believed the party was about twelve and a half miles from Dover and nine miles from Calais.[73][78] During the swim, a mail boat named The Maid of Kent passed Webb, with the passengers cheering.[79]
During the morning of August 25, the Sporting Life published a column with the title "Captain Webb's Channel Trip", which reported on the favourable weather conditions and changing tides which had so far carried Webb westward, eastward and then westward again.[44]
The strong currents off Cap Gris Nez with about three miles to go prevented him from reaching the shore for five hours,[36] during which time Webb was visibly struggling, and his stroke was slowing.[80] For the last two hours, the crew was very anxious as they could see Webb's exhaustion.[81] By 21:30, Webb's stroke had slowed to twelve strokes per minute, but the Maid of Kent returned with a rowing boat containing eight people to shield Webb from the strong wind and rain.[82][83] Near the shore, the crew began singing the tune Rule, Britannia!, which Webb later recalled in his diary:
Never shall I forget when the men in the mailboat struck up the tune of Rule Britannia, which they sang, or rather shouted, in a hoarse roar. I felt a gulping sensation in my throat as the old tune, which I had heard in all parts of the world, once more struck my ears under circumstances so extra-ordinary. I felt now I should do it, and I did it.[5][84]
Finally, after approximately 21 hours and 40 minutes, at 10:41 am on August 25, he landed near Calais, completing the first successful cross-channel swim without artificial aid.[78][4][48] His zig-zag course across the Channel was about 39 miles (66 km) long.[48][85][4] Upon completing the swim, he fell into his friends' arms,[86] and then slept in Hotel de Paris.[87]
Webb was elevated into heroic status upon completion of his swim. He became extremely popular, and celebrations of his swim were rampant on his arrival back to England.[88][83]
Webb was given hot wine and blankets and then fell into a sleep. He had a fever with a temperature of 38 °C (101 °F). He slept for about 24 hours, only waking to eat soup and fish and to look out the window.[89] Upon waking fully, he had stiff legs and two long swellings on the back of his neck from holding his neck up for so long. He had a bath and a large breakfast before meeting the crowds that had gathered at the floor of the hotel.[90] Once Webb had recovered, he and George Ward briefly escaped the crowds for a quick tour of a lace factory, where they both presented themselves as normal visitors. However, they quickly returned to the hotel, where they found out that Captain Pittock from the Channel Steamship Company had invited them to cross back to England aboard the Castalia. Webb accepted the invitation.[91]
By 13:00, Webb was saying goodbye to everyone at the hotel and then boarded the Castalia. The boat had been decorated with flags and had a salon where Webb went after boarding. He could not relax for long though, because the passengers had heard that he was on board and came to see him. After being swarmed by people, Webb left for the deck where he was given a loud cheer.[92]
As Webb approached Dover Harbor, a huge number of people scrambled to greet him and shake his hand. Captain Toms and the rest of the lugger crew were also waiting and walked with him into the town. Since the crowds were so thick, Webb and the crew boarded a carriage to the Flying Horse Inn.[93] Webb had quickly had enough of the crowds, so on August 28, he tried to get away to his home in Wellington, Shropshire via a train which stopped by London. Despite his efforts, the crowd would not let him out alone, and so accompanied him and Ward to the train station in Dover, while the song "See the Conquering Hero Comes" was played by the 5th East Kent Rifle Volunteers. In a further attempt to evade the crowds, upon reaching London, Webb ran across from Charing Cross station to Euston Square.[94]
Although Webb had tried to escape the attention, everyone in Wellington knew he was coming,[95] and so he was warmly received by a large crowd and a band from the 7th Shropshire Rifles who were also playing "See the Conquering Hero Comes".[4][95] The crowd removed the horses from the front of his carriage, and drew it by hand to Ironbridge where they were met by another band of the 6th Shropshire Rifle Corps and were welcomed by the Mayor of Wenlock.[4] The journey through the night was lit by candles, torches and lanterns held by the residents of the towns.[96] Webb spent the night in his home, and then attended Coalbrookdale church the next morning. The Sunday was very quiet for Webb, due to the Victorians celebrating the Sabbath.[97] However, the next day he was met again in the morning by a group from Dawley.[4] They invited him to "receive the homage of the town of his birth", and then escorted him and his family to Dawley and down the High Street, where the people of the town warmly welcomed him.[4][97] Webb and his family's route to Dawley and then to Madeley was lined with huge amounts of flowers, and the day was ended with a bonfire and firework display.[98]
On 31 August, Webb moved back to London, where strangers immediately recognized him and wanted to shake his hand. He visited the Baltic Exchange to check on the progress of his fund, where many of the workers stopped their work to cheer him.[99][83] Webb accepted many invitations, including visiting the Lord Mayor of London, a Royal Cambridge Music Hall ovation and a portrait drawing. He then moved back to Dover where he met up with Captain Toms and his crew for a dinner.[100]
Webb received many gifts, including gold cuff links and collar studs, a gold watch, a North London Swimming Club gold cross, a solitaire, a silver cup and a jewelled tie pin. He had several poems written about him, and received huge amounts of mail which caused him to joke that the writing was even harder than the swimming had been.[101] The London Stock Exchange set up a testimonial fund, which raised £2,424 for Webb and his family.[4][87][48] People from a large variety of backgrounds contributed, and the Land and Water published the names of all the donors.[102] Of this money, Webb gave £500 to his father, and invested the £1782 in the hope that this would provide him lifelong income. He then moved to 21 Tavistock Crescent, Kensington, London.[48]
For the rest of 1875, Webb spoke at boys' schools, including the Conway, where he was given some silver mounted binoculars by the students of the ship. He was used as an example of various English virtues, including patriotism, humility and determination.[103]
Completing the crossing lifted Webb to fame.[104] He was reported on extremely positively by The Daily Telegraph, The Standard and The New York Times.[105] Beckwith's Sporting Life published the headline "Captain Webb's Great Swimming Feat", which in the lead referenced the paper's previous articles on Webb when Beckwith was his manager, but lifted the main section of the article from Payne's report in The Standard. Contained in The Standard was Payne's eyewitness account of the crossing, including observations of the weather conditions, Webb's stroke, the water conditions and the marine life.[106] Webb also had an interview with The Daily Telegraph, where he gave a short account of his swim. However, the reporter was disappointed by Webb being bad at storytelling.[107]
Surgeon Sir William Fergusson regarded Webb's feat as "almost unrivalled as an instance of human prowess and endurance", and noted that his body must have been good at vasoconstriction to prevent heat loss.[48][108] Webb was also interviewed by The Lancet.[109]
It was suggested in parliament that Webb be knighted, with Mr R. H. Horne being Webb's strongest advocate, as he had himself swam across the Menai Strait. However, Webb was never knighted.[110][109]
After his record swim, Webb basked in national and international adulation, and followed a career as a professional swimmer.[78]
He began by lecturing, where he would talk about his career and other swimming related topics.[111][4][112] In these lectures, Webb spoke against the common Victorian practice of forcefully dunking children in the water, saying "fear of water on his part can never be removed by force or so-called heroic treatment", and proposed the alternative methodology of letting the child experiment themselves in shallow water.[113] Webb also licensed his name for merchandising, such as for commemorative pottery and matches.[112][78]
In August 1976, Webb accompanied Frederick Cavill on his first channel attempt, but it ended in disaster when Cavill consumed a large amount of whisky and was stung by many jellyfish.[114] In the Land and Water, Webb criticized Cavill for using sidestroke instead of breaststroke, and for wearing a jersey. Webb also mentioned that Cavill only got halfway, which angered Cavill and made him determined to try a second time the following year.[115] Webb did not accompany Cavill for his second attempt, and Cavill claimed to have completed the crossing almost ten hours faster than Webb. However, this claim was quickly discredited when one of the signed witnesses "Mr. Gammon" was discovered to never have existed. Cavill continued to taunt Webb, and challenged him to a race across the channel which Webb declined.[116]
Despite his income streams, Webb did not make much money, but lived a high cost lifestyle and was exceedingly generous.[117][112] He considered becoming a swimming teacher or going back into business as a seaman, but chose to do neither.[118] On 13 July 1877, Webb bet £100 at 20 to 1 odds that he could swim Gravesend to Woolwich along the Thames. He completed the 40 mile swim which broke the record for the longest freshwater swim ever and earned him some publicity from The Times.[119] This record stood until 25 July 1899 when it was beaten by Montague Holbein.[1]
By 1879, Webb had fallen into financial trouble.[120] To raise funds, he competed in a long distance swimming race organized by Beckwith. He and several other notable swimmers were tasked with swimming as far as possible over a six day period. The race was a moderate success for Beckwith, and Webb finished in first place winning the £70 prize.[121] To win, he swam 74 miles over 6 days, by swimming for roughly 14 hours per day.[4][109]
Unfortunately for Webb, he was drawing less attention as time went on, and so in 1880 he brought his feats to America for the first time.[48][122]
Webb found a new manager by the name of Captain Henry Hartley, who located The Manhattan Beach Company which was willing to wager $1,000 for Webb to swim from Sandy Hook to Manhattan Beach. Webb was required to enter the Manhattan Beach Harbour between 17:00 and 18:00 so that the greatest number of spectators would see him.[123] Before Webb even started the swim, The New York Times criticised the feat as impressive but useless.[124] For a part of the swim, Webb was joined by Ernest Von Schoening who swam with him just for fun. Despite Webb's crew being very inexperienced, and arriving three hours early at Manhattan Beach, Webb finished the swim and fulfilled his contract.[125] Upon finishing his swim, Webb was not in the mood to meet Paul Boyton, who was present at the beach. Instead, he simply ate his steak dinner and retired to bed.[126]
Webb did not evade Boyton for long though, because on August 22, they were set to race at the Newport beach. On August 17, both Webb and Boyton had deposited $1,000, and James Garden Bennett (Newport casino owner) added another $1,000 to the prize pool, bringing the total to $3,000. Two white buoys were placed half a mile apart, with Webb tasked with swimming around them twenty times in regular swimming trunks, and Boyton tasked with swimming around them twenty-five times with his suit. Formal rule agreements were signed by both, and the swim commenced. There was a large crowd gathered on the beach, and Boyton got off to a very fast start. Unfortunately for Webb, he got a severe cramp which ended his race, while Boyton simply cruised to the finish.[127]
Webb quickly challenged Boyton to a rematch, which he accepted. Their second race took place at Nantasket Beach, and was advertised as the "Championship of the world".[48][128] Since fanfare was even greater on their second meeting, the prize pool was even higher at $4,000. In this race, Boyton had to travel between three buoys, while Webb only had to travel between two. After the race was postponed several times, it eventually went ahead on September 6. The details of the race are unclear, but the referee refused to declare a winner and later accused Webb of cheating by swimming to shore and running across the beach.[4][129] Webb, backed up by Hartley, defended himself, and it was later found out that the referee was Boyton's fiancee's dad, indicating that he was probably biased.[129]
Boyton challenged Webb again, via a letter to the New York Herald that offered him even greater odds. However Webb did not reply.[130]
Webb's next race was against Ernest Von Schoening, who undoubtedly beat him in the "Endurance Championship of the World" held on September 14. Webb had exited the water after swimming six miles, and Hartley later said he had felt like he was going to get cramps as he did in Newport against Boyton.[131]
Overall, Webb was still unsuccessful in America and lost money on the trip.[132]
Back in England on 27 April 1880, Webb and Madeline Kate Chaddock were married at St Andrew's Church, West Kensington. They went on to have two children, Matthew and Helen.[4]
Webb's next exploit was to float for 60 hours in the Royal Aquarium in Westminster.[133] The affair was so dull that members of the public would get distracted by the other attractions of the museum, and barely anyone paid any attention to Webb.[134] He followed this up by floating for 74 hours in the waters of Scarborough Aquarium,[132] but this was once again a very dull affair.[135] In 1881, Webb's good friend Frank Buckland from the Land and Water died, and Webb was also beginning to fall ill. Webb continued swimming though, as it was the only way for him to provide for his new family. He did another six-day long race at Lambeth Baths and a sixteen mile race against Willie Beckwith.[135] Webb made his health even worse when he swam against Dr. G. A. Jennings in the cold water of Hollingworth Lake.
Although Webb had trained in the cold water, and was almost twice as fast as Jennings, the 54°F (12°C) water caused him to hallucinate and become disorientated. With only twelve minutes to go, Webb lost his direction and then with thirty seconds remaining, climbed out the water, which technically lost him the race. Upon retiring from the water, Webb vomited and was gently nursed by Baker and Watson back to proper body temperature.[136]
He returned again to America in 1882, where he won a five-mile race against the railroad engineer George Wade at Brighton Beach, and another five-mile race against a field of twenty-two swimmers at Nantasket Beach. Both events were badly organized, and poorly recognized as sporting events.[137] Webb then beat his own record by floating for 128 and a half hours (minus a 94 minute break) in Boston Horticultural Hall, which attracted more attention than his previous floating exhibits in England.[78][132] However, his financial situation still did not improve.[132] Webb did not engage in any more races against notable swimmers in America, but instead busied himself inventing new things.[138]
Webb's last competitive swim was in March 1883, where he raced 20 miles at Lambeth Baths once again against Willie Beckwith.[139] Webb was forced to quit the race when he was spitting blood as a result of tuberculosis.[140][132] By this point, Webb had lost so much weight that he was 42 pounds lighter than when he swam the channel. Consequently, his doctor ordered that he should he should completely quit swimming.[132]
For the next two months, Webb was bedridden from the tuberculosis. His brother, now Dr. Thomas Webb wrote to him begging that he give up long distance swimming for his health. Webb appeared one more time publicly to ceremonially start a race at the Battersea Baths.[141]
Driven by his worsening financial situation and desire for fame, Webb did not take his brother's advice. Four months later, he attempted to swim across the Niagara Rapids.[132][48]
In 1882, Webb had announced his intent swim through the base of Niagara Falls,[4] a body of water notorious for its rapids and whirlpools.[142] So, in June 1883, Webb and his family returned again to America, with Webb maintaining the intention to swim in the Niagara Gorge through the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River below Niagara Falls,[143][4] a feat many observers considered suicidal.[4][78] Webb was not unaware of the danger though, and said "If I die they will do something for my wife" shortly before the swim.[5][144] Beckwith and Watson tried to dissuade him, and Watson later said:
As we stood face to face I compared the fine, handsome sailor, who first spoke to me about swimming at Falcon Court, with the broken-spirited and terribly altered appearance of the man who courted death in the whirlpool rapids of Niagara... let it be taken for granted that his object was not suicide, but money and imperishable fame.[132][5][145]
Webb hired a cottage and trained for around a month at Nantasket Beach, where he also taught his wife to swim and played with his children.[146] He hired a new manager called Frederick Kyle, and travelled with him to Niagara on 23 July.[147] Once at Niagara on 24 July, the Niagara Falls Gazette announced that Webb would start his swim at 16:00 that day.[147] Webb made an impromptu plan and called a press conference to explain it.[148][149] Money was promised to Webb by the railway companies which charged visitors to come and watch the attempt, which Webb thought would be around $10,000.[150] Webb had originally planned the swim for 21 July, but special arrangements from the railway companies caused him to delay the start until 24 July.[150] Before departing, Webb wrote a will which left all his property to his wife, and then left his valuable watch and Maltese cross with the hotel owner.[151] Webb's final conversation was with the boat operator Jack McCloy as he was rowed to the rapids. They conversed about Webb's family, his channel crossing and his swimming exhibitions since then. McCloy tried to dissuade him one final time, but Webb only waved, smiled and said "goodbye boy", before exiting the boat.[4]
.jpg)
At 16:32, Webb jumped off the side of a ferryboat into the rapids.[152] Everything went smoothly for the first part of the swim, but upon being lifted by a large wave, Webb shouted and lifted his arm, before being pulled underwater by the currents for a distance of about 40 meters.[4][153] He reappeared several times briefly, but was sucked into the whirlpool and was never seen alive again.[4][153][152]
Many speculations were made after Webb went missing. Kyle argued that he had just ended up somewhere downstream, while others said his intention was suicide. One person even theorized that it was all an elaborate con, and Webb would later turn up and claim he completed it.[154] The following day at 12:00, Kyle sent Webb's wife a telegram with the news, and then at 22:00 he stopped the search.[155][156] Kyle offered a $100 reward for whoever could find Webb's body, and then travelled to inform Webb's wife in person of the bad news.[156] Rumours were spread that Webb's wife inherited a large sum of money from Webb, but Kyle told everyone that Webb had left it to his children.[155]
Four days later, Webb's body was found. The body had a cut on the forehead, which caused people to assume he was knocked out on a submerged rock, and then died from drowning.[4] However, the autopsy revealed that the cut was made after his death, and that he died from being paralysed from the water pressure, which caused respiratory failure.[4][157]
_at_Oakwood_Cemetery,_Niagara_Falls,_New_York.jpg)
Webb was temporarily interred in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York, and this ended up being his final resting place.[158][4][159] His widow and family were distraught upon hearing the news, and his widow said that she hadn't even entertained the idea that he might not complete it.[160] Many of Webb's lifetime friends organized an ornamental swimming event at Lambeth Baths, in Webb's honour. The Land and Water put shame on the risks Webb had taken in his later life, and also blamed the railway companies for encouraging the swim.[161]
In January, Webb's widow returned to the burial site to rebury the body with a proper funeral.[162] Above the grave was a dark granite Gothic monument was built, inscribed "Captain Matthew Webb. Born Jan. 19, 1848. Died July 24, 1883".[4][162]
Webb's son Matthew went on to fight in France in World War I, with the South African Forces, and was killed in 1917 at the Ypres Salient,[4] while Helen became a swimming and dance instructor.[163] After Webb's death, his wife remarried and moved to South Africa.[4] Captain Webb no longer has any living descendants, as his great great granddaughter did not have any children.[5]
_for_Allen_&_Ginter_Cigarettes_MET_DP839333.jpg)
Upon completion of his channel crossing, The New York Times mentioned how much good Webb had done by inspiring the whole country to go swimming, with the London Baths overflowing with people, and many others swimming in open bodies of water. Many new books were published teaching swimming in the next twenty five years.[164] Swimming clubs grew in quantity, and many new swimming pools were opened with the Baths and Washhouses Act allowing local authorities to build them.[165] Shortly after Webb's death, several periodical swimming championships were started, and the Sporting Life attributed much more paper space to swimming.[132] Webb expressed in his lifetime that he wanted to inspire more people to learn to swim,[166] and even wrote his own book called The Art of Swimming,[167] though this was mostly written by Arthur Payne.[168]
It took thirty-six years for anyone else to swim the channel, which was accomplished by Thomas Burgess in 1911.[169] After Thomas Burgess completed the second channel crossing, Webb's widow was interviewed. She spoke highly of Webb, and said she was glad Burgess had completed the crossing, as it proved it was possible and would silence those who doubted Webb's crossing.[170]
Since then, the channel has been successfully crossed by over 2500 swimmers, including a four-way crossing by Sarah Thomas in 2019.[171]
Some time after Webb's death, in 1909, a postcard was produced which depicted a pig on a wall watching Webb's post-channel procession go by. It was produced by the Baldwin Bros., a photography firm in Dawley, around the same time that the Captain Webb Memorial in Dawley was unveiled.[4][172][173]
On 23rd October 1909, funded by public subscriptions, Webb's elder brother Thomas unveiled a memorial at the bottom of Dawley High Street.[4] It took the funding committee just seventeen weeks to fund, build and unveil the memorial.[4] On it reads the short inscription: "Nothing great is easy."[174][78] The memorial was taken away for repair after a lorry collided with it in February 2009, but was restored and hoisted back onto its plinth on the High Street in October 2009.[175]
On 8 June 1910, a second memorial was unveiled for him in Dover.[4][176] Another memorial plaque with his portrait was also unveiled in the parish church at Coalbrookdale.[177]
Webb Crescent and the Captain Webb Primary School in Dawley are named after the swimmer,[178][169] and Webb House of the Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School in Newport, Shropshire, is named after Webb.[179]
In 1965, Webb was added to the International Swimming Hall of Fame,[167] for being the first swimmer to cross the English Channel.[180]
His death inspired a poem by William McGonagall in 1883,[181] and in 1940, John Betjeman's NME single of the week "A Shropshire Lad".[182]
Webb's picture on boxes of Bryant and May matches is said to have inspired the physical appearance of the Inspector Clouseau character, portrayed originally in the Pink Panther films, by Peter Sellers.[183]
A full-length film adaptation about Webb's Channel attempt, initially under the working title The Greatest Englishman, was directed by Justin Hardy, written by Jemma Kennedy, and starred Warren Brown.[184] It was released in 2015 under the title Captain Webb.[185]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
